• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show: MBDA open to commonality across European future fighter weapons

  22nd June 2023

  European missile-maker MBDA said it was open to commonality at the weapons layer between Europe’s two competing sixth-generation fighter projects.

• Training

  BMT secures contract to provide specialised training for Royal Navy aircraft carrier personnel

  16th May 2023

  BMT will deploy an advanced five-bridge immersive training simulator to help train the UK's aircraft carrier crew for complex manoeuvres and other tasks.

• Air Warfare

  BAE Systems highlights need to invest in skills and infrastructure to de-risk next-gen combat aircraft programme

  19th April 2023

  BAE Systems has won a contract extension worth £656m from the UK MoD to develop the concept and technology for the next generation combat aircraft, part of the Tempest project, but will need to ensure it has the right niche skills and digital and physical infrastructure to successfully deliver.

• Training

  Updated: RAF kicks off Project Monet to develop sustainable fuel test aircraft

  21st April 2023

  Project Monet will evaluate the feasibility of matching environmentally friendly technologies with key military requirements, including all-electric battery power.

• Air Warfare

  Opinion: East meets West on Tempest

  9th January 2023

  The announcement that Japan will join Italy and the UK in developing the Future Combat Air System indicates a new era of industry cooperation.

• Air Warfare

  GCAP programme 'well positioned' to develop 6th-generation fighter by 2035

  12th January 2023

  The Global Combat Air Programme partners are confident a sixth-generation combat jet will fly by the middle of the 2030s. Other nations may be able to join the partnership in the future but the 'core club' window is closing soon.

• Air Warfare

  UK, Italy and Japan tie the knot with joint fighter project

  9th December 2022

  Japanese involvement is key to the feasibility of the Future Combat Air System, bringing money and industrial might to the table.

• Training

  Leonardo explores 6th-generation combat aircraft simulation at I/ITSEC 2022

  8th December 2022

  Leonardo is developing the Smart Chair system in its Battle Lab that allows for advanced pilot training for multi-domain scenarios and can potentially 'replicate a sixth-generation fighter jet cockpit'.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2022: BAE Systems and Red 6 augment Hawk trainer jet's reality

  29th November 2022

  Integrated with BAE Systems' Hawk fast jet trainer, Red 6's Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality Systems can provide Red Air and synthetic training against near-peer adversaries.

• Air Warfare

  The 5 most significant air stories of 2022

  30th December 2022

  Several key developments emerged in the air domain in 2022, with major announcement coming toward the end of the year - we collected the five most significant ones.

• Air Warfare

  UK FCAS combat aircraft programme expands tech support with new contract

  22nd November 2022

  The UK MoD's Future Combat Air System (FCAS) enterprise has contracted QinetiQ and its industry partners to provide technical support for the programme over the next three years.

• Defence Notes

  Japanese defence plans reflect a drastically changed security environment

  21st December 2022

  Based on current numbers, the commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence will see Japan rise to one of the world's biggest defence spenders.

• Defence Notes

  New UK cabinet faces old defence budget troubles

  28th October 2022

  Pressure on the UK government is not easing despite a new Prime Minister taking office. There are plenty of questions as to how Rishi Sunak and his chancellor are planning to sustain defence spending amidst growing economic troubles.

• Training

  Royal Air Force modernisation and training experience a plunge

  23rd September 2022

  Along with the British Army, the Royal Air Force has lost out on the Integrated Review and the UK MoD has taken risky bets. It is in need of an honest review and ministers should accept that wrong assumptions were made.

• Air Warfare

  Reduced fleet size and weapons integration issues put squeeze on future RAF air combat missions

  22nd September 2022

  As the RAF manages NATO missions and faces increased pressure from Russia, defence experts argue that additional fighter jet deployments to the Asia-Pacific to maintain leading strategic ambitions signposted by the UK's Integrated Review looks to be out of the question.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [Italy]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that the Italian, British and Japanese components of GCAP are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2019: In September 2019, the UK and Italian ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [UK]

  Programme Background The next-generation platform concept is part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which sought to deliver a Future Combat Air System ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Tempest 50 [USAF]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 18 December 2024, the US DoD announced that the USAF had awarded Firestorm Labs a $100 million Small Business Innovation Research ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Global Combat Air Programme [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Global Combat Air Programme [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Data links

  Data links | Global Combat Air Programme [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Global Combat Air Programme [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Global Combat Air Programme [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Data links

  Data links | Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  In December 2022, the UK, Japan, and Italy announced a new partnership under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) to develop a trilateral next-generation fighter ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that GCAP's Japanese, British and Italian components are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2020: The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of Japan issued ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Gripen E [Sweden]

  Programme Background  In June 2020, cross party political talks in Sweden addressing future defence funding have collapsed, following disagreement over whether additional money should be ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Data links

  Pioneer Express (GRRIP, AN/PSC-15)

  The Pioneer Express (GRRIP, AN/PSC-15) is a small, lightweight flyaway communications system that allows access to secure and non-secure networks and can be used in ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Tempest 50

  The Tempest 50 is an American loitering munition and UAV from Firestorm Labs. Uniquely, 50 units of the UAV a month can be produced from ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/VRC-99A

  The AN/VRC-99A is a programmable, wideband, secure, open-architecture tactical communications system providing virtual circuit and datagram service. These services are designed for reliable, simultaneous, multichannel ...

• Loitering munitions

  Arash (series)

  The Arash is a series of Iranian loitering munitions with varying technical specifications.  The long-range aircraft comes in two near-identical variants, the smaller Arash-1 and the ...

• CRL-5200

  CRL-5200-series laptops are designed to be portable, flexible and upgradable. Features: internal 14.1in XGA colour active matrix TFT display (transflective and NVG/NVIS options); touchscreen option; ...

• 91022

  The Aqeri 91022 mobile computer is a small form factor product designed to be used in harsh environments and space-critical areas such as deployed vehicles. ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Praetorian DASS

  The Praetorian Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS) for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft provides protection against air-to-air and surface-to-air threats. It integrates an Electronic Support Measure ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Striker II

  The platform-agnostic Striker II helmet-mounted display (HMD) builds upon BAE Systems' current Striker HMD. It is a digital solution based on a two-part helmet design with ...

• CPC-1200/1500

  The CPC-1200/1500-series workstation uses COTS technology for field and military use. Features include: portable or 19in rack-mount configuration; internal 10in and 12in, VGA, SVGA and ...

• Patrol boats

  Cyclone Class

  The Cyclone-class patrol ships built by Bollinger Shipyards are in service jointly with the US Navy and Coast Guard. With 14 ships built for the ...